Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
by Stalker of Stories
Summary: Kaoru lost a bet to Kyouya, which really should have been expected. Now Kyouya wants three favors in return. 1: Paperwork. 2: A... date? 3: The Ambush. Slash, Kyouya/Kaoru, some angst, some fluff, some snogging in that order, three-shot.
1. To Lay a Wager

**Special Note: I posted a chapter cover for this on my DeviantArt account. Link to my DA account and the cover itself are on my profile.**

**Warnings:** Slash (Kyouya/Kaoru), mild angst, fluff, (eventually) innuendo, and some snogging. Part 1 of 3 (I think). Might tack on more warnings later. Fluff is more for chapter 2.

**Disclaimer:** Ouran High School Host Club belongs to Hattori Bisuko and associates, of whom I am not one. Written for KaraDragonfire's birthday (Happy 17th!) at her request.

1: To Lay a Wager

It began with a bet. Well, it began long before that, but as far as Kaoru was concerned, the bet was the beginning for him, and no one could dissuade him of this.

For all that Kaoru felt the bet started it all, those who were being betted upon – Hitachiin Hikaru, Kaoru's elder twin, and Suou Tamaki – would say it began nearly one year prior, because _they_ started it. Which meant the entire thing tied back to April the second, when Fujioka Haruhi stumbled upon their club as a first year student. Because Haruhi was involved, and nothing could have happened without her.

That, however, was of no interest to Kaoru. At the time of the bet, he only cared for one thing.

Beating the Shadow King.

Both stood on the sidelines after a meeting of the Host Club. Haruhi was tidying up with Hikaru and Tamaki hot on her heels, trying (and failing) to make themselves useful in that endeavor.

"You know your brother will only be hurt in all of this," Kyouya stated quietly. It was not a statement to bring attention to Kyouya's thought, but rather a statement that he knew that Kaoru must know that Hikaru would not win Haruhi's heart. "You would do better to stop encouraging him."

Kaoru glared. "Hikaru won't get hurt. He's grown up a lot since Haruhi started here," he pointed out. And he had; not only had both Kaoru and Hikaru been drawn out of their little world by the girl, but Hikaru had become less mean, less dependent upon his twin. Kaoru had grown up too, enough that he knew to put aside his own needs for the sake of his brother. "Haruhi can't like Tono like that, not when he hasn't learned a thing and thinks of her as his daughter."

"Would you bet on that?" Kyouya inquired. He had a gleam in his eye, but that didn't stop Kaoru from nodding stubbornly. He believed that Hikaru could defeat Tamaki in the race for Haruhi's heart. "Well then, whichever one succeeds in first obtaining Haruhi's affections –" he didn't discount that they could break up and one day Haruhi might date the other, "- his supporter wins. I support Tamaki, and you support Hikaru. Terms will be decided by the winner when the bet has ended. If Haruhi chooses someone other than our 'champions', the bet ends with no winner and no loser. Agreed?"

There was very little thought involved, only a bull-headed stubbornness that pushed him onward. "Definitely," Kaoru replied, and they shook to seal the deal.

So it began.

* * *

It was inevitable that Kyouya would win the bet. Kaoru had realized this only ten minutes after making it, that he had made a no-terms bet that he would lose because it was _Kyouya_ he was going against. Never mind that Tamaki was the real "foe", Kyouya was going to win. Kaoru had been so sure that Hikaru would be chosen over Tamaki that he had forgotten who he was fighting against.

He had forgotten that Kyouya _**never**_ lost.

"Haruhi."

It was the weekend following the bet. The Club had been attending one of Mori's kendo tournaments – which he won, of course – because Kyouya said it was a good business opportunity and they had realized that Haruhi hadn't been to one of the tournaments yet. Tamaki asked Haruhi to stay behind a moment, when they were planning to leave, so the rest stayed back to spy, hidden rather effectively for once. Some out of concern, others for a vested interest in the scene.

"Haruhi, I… I don't think of you as my daughter!" Tamaki belted out in a very inelegant manner.

It was pretty lame as far as confessions went, and the location left much to be desired.

Tamaki revealed more, some about his "mind theatre" which made Kaoru wonder how he ever mistook his feelings for the love of a father to his daughter. It was ridiculous!

By the end of it, Kaoru was glancing over at his brother – who had gripped Kaoru's arm so tight that the limb was beginning to go numb – and wishing he hadn't been so adamant in encouraging Hikaru. Because Kyouya was right, Hikaru would only get hurt. None of it had made any difference.

Haruhi accepted Tamaki's feelings, and she looked so… so _happy_ about it that Kaoru knew there was no saving Hikaru's feelings. He had been rejected at New Year's, and Haruhi was accepting Tamaki's feelings so entirely that there was no doubt she reciprocated. Kaoru clutched his brother to him, offering the comfort of _I'm still here _and _Don't let this break you_ so silent but he knew Hikaru heard him. The grip on his arm loosened some, allowing the pins-and-needles feeling to prickle along the limb.

"I knew she loved him," Hikaru whispered quietly, "but I hoped she would change her mind."

"I'm sorry," Kaoru said. And he was, even if Hikaru wouldn't understand that Kaoru was honestly apologizing rather than offering condolences. "I thought Tono was too childish…"

"He is," Hikaru nodded, his gaze still locked on the newfound couple that was slowly approaching the other Hosts, red-faced. "But he grew up, just like we did. He's not as much of an idiot, you know?"

Belatedly, Kaoru wondered when Hikaru got so mature that he could accept Tamaki's changes when Kaoru, the supposedly nicer and more mature of the two, had refused to acknowledge they had even happened. "Yeah, I know," and he _did_. But that didn't mean he had to like it. Kaoru didn't like that Haruhi had fostered changes in the King like she had in the twins, he didn't like that she saw those changes and her heart judged the Princely-type host as being the one worthy of her much-sought affection.

He didn't like that, when he gave up any chance he had with the girl he loved to back his brother's pursuit of her, they still lost in the face of their Idiot King.

"Everyone, I have wonderful news!" Tamaki shouted happily as soon as he caught sight of them. Hikaru straightened his spine, and Kaoru understood perfectly that his brother didn't want to bring down everyone else's spirits, or let on how hurt he was now.

Kaoru despaired for his brother, but he knew it was also in good portion for himself.

* * *

The following week, Kyouya informed Kaoru of his terms.

"Three favors, to be paid out at my discretion," Kyouya said. It might have seemed a non-sequitur, but Kaoru caught on quickly. Kyouya didn't _do_ non-sequiturs, and Kaoru had been thinking about the bet since that morning. Besides it was just like Kyouya to be that vague about his terms, ensuring the best pay-out for himself.

After a weekend of consoling Hikaru, his twin seemed to have come back to himself and was doing a lot better, congratulating Haruhi and Tamaki on getting together and acting as usual with Kaoru. And it wasn't like he was just acting either; he had come to terms with things so quickly, and Kaoru realized that he had to get over it too. It was already Wednesday when Kyouya approached him. Fulfilling the bet might help him get over things.

"Fine," Kaoru agreed after a moment's pause. Kyouya was asking for favors, not anything that would get Kaoru killed or put his family to shame. It would probably be a bunch of clerical duty, like –

"Then the first will be for you to straighten out the filing room and fill in some information for me," Kyouya intoned. "I don't know if you noticed, but Hikaru made a bit of a mess in there earlier looking for information on one of your usual clients. I trust you can take care of it?"

... Like that. And of course Kyouya made the entire thing sound like it was Kaoru's fault anyway and it was the least Kaoru could do, wasn't it?

Hikaru exited the dressing room where he had changed back to his uniform from his cosplay – an old Victorian outfit, done in a dark blue to compliment his artificially darkened hair – and Kaoru did his best to explain the situation without revealing that Kaoru had bet on his _love life_. They were twins, yes, and they loved each other, but Kaoru realized that Hikaru might be mad at him a day or two if he revealed that.

"I'm the one who made the mess though," Hikaru frowned. "Why is he making you... unless you volunteered to clean it? Kaoru, I'm fine now, I promise! I'll clean up my own mess if he refuses to have a cleaning service do it, you don't have to do that!"

"I didn't volunteer for anything," Kaoru quickly stated to allay any of his brother's suspicions and indignity. "Actually, I – lost a bet." He realized he could say that much. Hikaru wouldn't know what the bet was about after all. "This is my punishment, I guess. And Kyouya-senpai mentioned filling in some gaps in data or something too."

He wrinkled his nose in unison with Hikaru. Paper work. Ick.

"If you're sure," Hikaru seemed a lot less reluctant, as he was already heading for the door. Kaoru wouldn't be surprised if Hikaru didn't start planning his funeral by the time Kaoru got home. "If you were dumb enough to bet against Kyouya-senpai, I guess it is your own fault anyway!"

Then Hikaru was gone and Kaoru couldn't help but wish he'd kept that little fact in mind when he'd been making the bet to begin with. But this was his way of getting over Hikaru's failure with Haruhi. Twins share their failures and their victories, after all.

"Well done," Kyouya sounded half sarcastic. Well, not quite sarcastic; Kyouya didn't do _blatant_ sarcasm, but all the hosts knew when he was being sarcastic. Sometimes. Tamaki didn't seem to have worked it out yet, and Hani usually ignored such things in favor of cake, his cousin, his rabbit, and Kanazuki Reiko. The latter was still a fairly new addition.

"So... just how bad a state did Hikaru leave it in, anyway?" Kaoru asked, a little worried. Like most Ouran students (Haruhi being the only notable exception, aside from a few nouveau riche), the twins had grown up with maids who did absolutely all the cleaning. They never learned to be terribly tidy. Sure, their appearances were always _impeccable_, but if it weren't for the maids at home, it would be a veritable pigsty rather than the perfectly neat and tidy domicile that it was. Hikaru probably hadn't been thinking that it was usually Kyouya who kept it all in order, either.

"See for yourself," Kyouya led the way to the small room and gestured Kaoru to enter.

It... well, it could have been worse. Normally, it was a room with a desk and a filing cabinet. Haruhi had been known to use the room to study and do homework when she didn't have any designations but was expected to be available in case anyone showed up. The room was relatively sound-proof; due to the club room's original state, a music room, there were quite a few siderooms for solo practice and composition, so this wasn't too outrageous.

The top drawer of the filing cabinet – marked "A through Tsu" – was open, while the middle drawer – Te through Pi – was tilted over on the ground, half the files within scattered on the floor. The desk had a file spread out on top of it, several pages fallen to the chair, and a mug of commoner coffee spreading a stain on the papers.

It could be worse, it could be a _lot_ worse, but to someone with no experience in organization such as Hitachiin Kaoru, it seemed a nigh insurmountable task.

"This... Hikaru did all this?" It was a small mess, Kaoru tried to tell himself. It was a mess far smaller than what Haruhi cleaned up every day after meetings. It was a smaller mess than the one the twins made when they were designing an outfit, far less than when they actually _made_ an outfit, or when they did flower arranging. It was no big deal, he tried to assure himself, but oh it _was_. Especially since Kyouya would be inspecting, making sure he put each file in the _exact_ right order and that he didn't mix up any of the scattered pages.

"The mug was Tamaki's doing," Kyouya supplied. "Haruhi came in after your brother, and Tamaki forgot his mug when he came in after her."

"Oh," Kaoru wrinkled his nose, then inhaled deeply. "Right. I'll... I'll get this done."

He took a step forward, careful to aim his foot and keep from stepping on any of the papers. If he soiled them, Kyouya would just about _kill_ him, or it seemed as such. He could feel those eyes on the back of his neck, ready to berate him the instant he did anything wrong.

Kyouya's steps clacked behind him, then beside him, and then Kyouya was next to the desk placing the papers on it and the chair in a not-quite-neat stack and setting his laptop on the main surface of the desk.

"See that you do," came Kyouya's belated reply as the computer was opened at he set to typing away at... whatever it was he typed. Probably bookkeeping and the like.

He decided to start by taking the file folders out of the fallen drawer and laying them out on the ground. He then grabbed the other folders and set those out too. It might make organizing easier. The fallen drawer was tilted back right-side up – not placed back in the cabinet though, because then he'd have to get up and down a lot while he was putting the folders _back_ – and he started collected all the fallen pages.

There were... a lot. He ended up making six stacks several inches tall each out of all the scattered pages, with no system of organization yet, just the papers he picked up, discovering more folders buried in what had turned out to be a veritable mountain of paper.

It hadn't looked that bad when he was standing up!

Sitting on his calves was getting uncomfortable, but he bore with it, and started taking pages from stacks and sticking them in folders. Whenever he saw a name that he recognized in particular, he would absently glance over the data while still being as prompt as he could in putting it in the proper file. The amount of data they had on each girl was ridiculous though. Did Kyouya requisition their information from his doctors after each Medical Exam day or something? And hadn't that girl _graduated_ last year?

When he picked up a page belonging to one of the few males who occasionally visited the club, Kaoru wondered just how detailed the information network was.

When he picked up a page belonging to _Nekozawa_, he really _did_ have to wonder. The fact that he was listed as picking Tamaki as his Host... alright, so it kinda made sense, but did Kyouya need to be that detailed? Really? Yes, Nekozawa had appeared on the dates listed and bugged Tamaki on each of those days... but Kaoru didn't need to know that he had actually signed up for the time.

It added a whole new level to just how... "_Cool"_ Kyouya was. He really lived up to his type, though not in the way girls thought. It was more like cool as in "chilly". Yeah, Kaoru mused as he sorted out a few pages on one of Haruhi's regulars, chilly was exactly it. Chilly like a fall day or the snack fresh from the fridge that Hikaru filched for them without realizing that he had to put it in the microwave or the oven for it to warm up.

Keeping up the mental diatribe of not-quite-insults, Kaoru found the work went faster, and soon he was putting the folders back where they belonged in the drawer. He glanced at his watched – an hour and a half. Surely that meant he'd made good time? There had been a lot of paper, so that was pretty fast, he was certain.

As soon as all the folders were back where they belonged, including the one that sat on the desk at Kyouya's elbow, and the top drawer had been shut again, Kaoru picked up the middle drawer from its place on the ground.

Or rather, he tried. Paper was... heavy.

Frowning, Kaoru repositioned his hands, digging his fingers into the plush carpet to get a better grip on the drawer, and pulled up again, but it did nothing but hurt his arms. He _almost_ growled at the inanimate object, but refrained, barely. He stood at his full height and stared at it, thinking. With Hikaru he could lift it, certainly. Twins were stronger together after all, weren't they? (He discounted the fact that having _anyone_ help would probably make it easier.)

Deciding on what he thought his best chance would be – the actual lifting would be the most difficult after all, so if he could do that he'd be fine – he place one foot at either side of the drawer. He dug his fingers under it, ignoring the pain of having that much weight on the delicate digits, and, after making sure his grip was as secure as he could make it, tried to lift it up.

He could feel a vain in his temple throbbing, and the neglected muscles of his neck strained unsuccessfully. His arms, while not noodly, fought without any chance of success. Oh, sure, Kaoru worked out, he was healthy and fit just as any of the Host members, but that didn't mean he was especially strong.

Eventually, when he found he could only lift one end – which resulted in the file folders sliding the other way and almost falling out – no matter how hard he tried, Kaoru dropped the drawer back on the floor and collapsed backwards. His back hurt.

"You're supposed to lift with your legs," Kyouya commented. Kaoru turned his head on the floor – for some reason lying on the floor felt good, though he found it plebeian – and found that Kyouya had stood from the desk, was rather nearer than expected. "Get up."

Kaoru obeyed, a little cowed. How did one lift with his legs, anyway? Legs don't have hands; feet can't be used to pick things up unless one is a monkey. Kaoru was _not_ a monkey.

"You take the far end," Kyouya ordered. Kaoru was confused, for a moment, before he saw Kyouya moving to the end that would go into the cabinet. He wasn't – but apparently he was intending to help. Kaoru was almost embarrassed.

Rather than give in to such things, he picked up the one end enough for Kyouya to lift the other. Kaoru suspected he was still taking more of the weight, but it was his task, he was the one doing Kyouya a "favor", so he knew better than to complain. He lost the bet. It was his own fault.

The drawer was fairly easy to get back to working after Kaoru figured out there was a track he had to sit it on.

Of course, he never wanted to see another piece of paper again, but that was the kind of trauma one suffered in these instances. He refused to make a big deal of it and go to the zoo or the stables like Tamaki (1).

He would just do all his homework via computer now.

A phone ringing broke him from his not-quite-musing. It wasn't his. He turned a bit and saw Kyouya pull his cellphone from his pocket.

"Hello Akito-nii-sama," polite as always, Kyouya said into the phone. There was a faint buzz of conversation on the other end as the other person, apparently one of Kyouya's older brothers, spoke. "I stayed late after the club meeting ended." More of the quiet, indiscernible buzz. "We're done now." _Buzz buzz_. "No." _Buzz?_ "Hitachiin Kaoru-kun." _Buzz buzz buzz buzz, buzzbuzz!_ "I will return home shortly. Good-bye."

The phone clapped shut.

"We're done here," Kyouya stated evenly. Then he left the small room, already calling for Tachibana to bring the car around.

Glad to be let off without having to fill out any paperwork, Kaoru called a car to come pick him up. For a moment, he wondered what the next "favor" would be. Probably more paperwork.

He shuddered. Paper… he hoped not.

**Author's Note: This is just part 1 of Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is (title picked by KaraDragonfire when multiple options were presented to her, don't blame me (I preferred Cash In Hand, which is the title of the second chapter now)). I was going to do it as one monstrous one-shot, but y'know what? This is **_**one**_** of the sections, and it's near on to 4 thousand words. So it's a three-shot, chapters centering on each "favor". No way in hell am I going to sit here and write a one-shot that I'm sure will be more than 10,000 words. I might do that sometimes on chapters... but it doesn't seem right for a one-shot.**

**Sorry Kara, you'll have to wait on the rest. (You'll get chapter two at your party)**

**(About the filing cabinet – the Japanese "alphabet" goes "a, i, u, e, o, ka, ki, ku, ke, ko" etc etc through s (z), t (d), n, h (b, p), m, y, r, and w)**

(1) Referring to an instance in the manga where Tamaki wanted to see tigers and horses when he was traumatized by Haruhi not seeing him as a father and not realizing his own feelings for her. The basis of this joke is that in Japanese, Tiger is Tora and Horse is Uma. Together they are Torauma, which is how the Japanese say "trauma" (lacking a word in their own language for it, they borrowed from English and put it in katakana)


	2. Cash In Hand

**Warnings:** Slash (Kyouya/Kaoru), mild angst, _**FLUFF**_, (eventual) innuendo, and some snogging. Part 2 of 3 (I think). Might tack on more warnings later. Short scenes this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** Ouran High School Host Club belongs to Hattori Bisuko and associates, of whom I am not one. Written for KaraDragonfire's birthday (Happy 17th!) at her request.

2: Cash In Hand

"Tamaki blew you off?" Kaoru's eyebrows lifted a little. It was morning break, and the twins had both left to stretch their legs while Tamaki "subtly" flirted with Haruhi upon invading their classroom. They had decided to visit with Mori and Hani, but Kaoru had lost Hikaru. A moment later, Kyouya had appeared at his side.

"Indeed; apparently he 'forgot' and planned a 'surprise vacation' for Haruhi," Kyouya didn't look terribly amused. "Unfortunately, he also planned Monday's cosplay based on our planned trip for the weekend, and while I _could_ do the research from second and third hand sources, to obtain the utmost quality of décor, costumes, and information, I need to attend to the matter personally. You would be doing me a _favor_ if you were to come with me and help to investigate. Your knowledge of fashion would be most helpful."

Kaoru took it for the order it was. Still… an entire weekend away from Hikaru? Kaoru gnawed on his lip. Hikaru had seemed to be… to be fine, really, since the "Haruhi and Tamaki getting together" debacle a week and a half ago. And if Kaoru knew anything, it was how to read his brother's emotions. Kaoru was still feeling the loss a lot more keenly than his brother.

"Alright, that sounds fair," Kaoru agreed before he could over think things. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"Nara; we especially need to visit the Daibutsu (1) and see about requisitioning some deer for Monday," Kyouya replied. He pushed his glasses up on his nose, allowing the natural light from the great windows to reflect off of them, obscuring his gaze entirely. "It will be an overnight trip. I booked a room with two beds at a Ryoukan, anticipating Tamaki wanting to have a commoner-style sleepover. Will these arrangements be amicable?"

"Sure," Kaoru nodded. He remembered Hikaru having trouble sleeping with Haruhi in the same room, but since he'd slept well enough with the class president as his roommate he figured it was because Hikaru liked Haruhi and not because he was unused to sleeping in the same room as anyone other than Kaoru. If not… well, Kaoru was sure he could take a sleeping pill or use earplugs or something. It wouldn't be that difficult to deal with.

"Good," Kyouya gave a nod to act in place of a bow. "I will see you tomorrow." He walked away, and the bell tower began to chime the warning to return to class. Kaoru booked it back.

Well, at least the second favor wasn't more _paperwork_.

* * *

Hikaru had complained, but after Kaoru had explained the situation – somewhat, he still didn't reveal what the bet itself had been – the elder twin had laughed. Agreeing to a no-terms bet, Hikaru claimed, was the dumbest thing Kaoru could do and he was lucky that all Kyouya had asked for was a few favors instead of his first born son or anything like that.

Kaoru, of course, had already figured this out, but thanked his twin for the concern as he packed an overnight bag – a rolling suitcase with casual wear, dinner wear (one a suit and the other a kimono, depending on where they ate), sleep wear, and three potential outfits for Sunday (the weather report had been spotty), along with a rain coat, laptop, and four pairs of shoes – which he felt was rather modestly packed. One had to be prepared for every fashion eventuality, and that included weather, after all.

As it was, when Kaoru had a car drop him off at Kyouya's house – from where Tachibana and a couple other body guards would be driving them to Nara – Kaoru was dressed for the obscenely early hour. Seven am. People shouldn't be awake this early, especially on the weekend, but there was really nothing he could do about it except throw on jeans, a shirt, and a hoody.

At least he'd packed the evening prior, else he would have seen the sunrise that morning. Kaoru shuddered at that thought.

"Are you cold?" Kyouya asked, rather nonplussed. They were already in his car, which was quite warm – probably because Kyouya had low blood pressure in the morning – and Kaoru wondered how the Low Blood Pressure Demon King had managed to wake up so early in the morning. Didn't he complain a lot (and scare the rest of the club) whenever they kidnapped him before noon?

"No," Kaoru answered quickly. "It's just too early to be up on a Saturday."

"So it is," Kyouya agreed. It wasn't unexpected. He still looked rather tired, even as perfectly coifed for a day of research and sight-seeing as he was. "Tachibana, wake me when we're in Nara." Kaoru blinked and suddenly Kyouya was asleep. Or trying to sleep.

That was... the solitary twin huffed. How could anyone sleep in a car? It was so... uncomfortable! ... Then again, when Kyouya had returned from his trip to France, Kaoru had overheard his bodyguards talking about how self-sacrificing and kind (ha!) their Bo-sama was and how he had gotten to the point where he actually fell asleep on the sidewalk. Maybe, if one was tired enough they really _could_ sleep anywhere, though Kaoru had trouble sleeping on any mattress that wasn't of comparable quality to the one at home.

Kaoru knew better though, than to try and make conversation. Obviously Kyouya was only being civil until they got to the car and he could sleep. Really, if he _knew_ this sort of thing would happen, why had Kyouya decided to leave so early? They probably could have gotten what they needed done mostly tomorrow, and even if they were late getting home it was no big deal because the school wouldn't care if they were late.

Kaoru sent a vaguely miffed look to the Shadow King and pulled his DS from his pocket, inserting one of the little game kept in the case in his pocket. The early hour called for something mindless, more mindless than Reiton-Kyouju (2) which was what had last been played by the twins.

Eventually, he dozed.

* * *

Nara, Kaoru was quick to decide, was much like any other small city in Japan. It wasn't a sprawling metropolis like Tokyo by any stretch, and it didn't have the same sort of history as Kyoto, for all it was a temporary capital during some epidemic in some era Kaoru didn't care about, and it lacked the glitzy vacation aura of Karuizawa.

All in all, it wasn't up to par with many of the other locations Kaoru had been to, whether it was for the size, culture, or the shopping.

"You're welcome to blame Tamaki," Kyouya offered.

"I will, whole-heartedly," assured Kaoru. They were walking down one of the shopping streets, looking for a good tailor. Kyouya already had one picked out based on internet showcases, portfolios, and service, but he claimed that there were tailors, very good ones, who wouldn't have websites and it was best to look around a little before making a decision.

Unfortunately, the streets were narrow and crowded, as was traditional, and so they had to go about on foot. The sun had no yet burned away the clouds, and according to the weather forecast over the radio – as told by Aishima since neither Kyouya nor Kaoru had actually been awake at the time – that it was not expected to get above 15 degrees until some time after noon. Kaoru had grabbed his coat from his suitcase when they parked, just to be a bit warmer than his thin hoody granted, and a pair of warm, fashionable gloves.

And he felt just a little guilty for grabbing them, because he also had nice warm coat pockets. Kyouya, however, had no pockets other than the ones holding his phone and wallet.

As they passed a stall selling cheap knock-off clothing, Kaoru's conscience got the better of him and he removed the gloves and thrust them in Kyouya's direction.

"Kaoru, what are you doing?" Kyouya lifted an eyebrow, unimpressed.

"You have low blood pressure in the morning, right? And you don't have pockets... so you need my gloves more than I do," Kaoru explained. "Besides, you're the 'cool' type. Probably because you have poor circulation or something." Even Kaoru rolled his eyes at the bad joke.

"There's a tailor up ahead," Kyouya stated and continued walking. As he did, he grabbed the gloves and slipped them over his hands. They went well with his clothes.

* * *

The Ryoukan, it turned out, was a very nice, not that this was surprising. The okami was a petit woman in a red and yellow kimono who knew very well how to treat such high profile guests as a Hitachiin and an Ootori. Although Tachibana and the other bodyguards (Kaoru was certain he'd heard one of them say "Team Kyouya" (3)) were also staying at the Ryoukan, they were keeping well out of the way as their master and his friend had tea with the okami.

Since the arrangements had little to do with him, Kaoru had wandered through the garden while Kyouya dealt with checking them in, and the non-caffeinated tea with Kyouya and the proprietor was a nice way to unwind from all the business of the day.

The had successfully found kimono for each Host in nearly correct measurements and commissioned them to be altered to the exact measurements – which Kaoru had long since memorized – by Sunday evening. A few souvenirs had been collected for the other Hosts and Renge, and they planned to go to the Daibutsu tomorrow, as well as seeing if (or, rather, how much money they would have to pay) they could pay to rent some of the infamous friendly deer of Nara.

Kaoru sipped his tea and commented on the pleasant flower arrangements in the tearoom. They weren't on par with his and his brother's arrangements, and certainly not with grandmother's, but they were classy and showed that someone on staff had a talent, or that the Ryoukan was willing to invest in such things.

"Excuse me, there seems to have been a mix-up with your room." Kaoru looked up as a young woman walked over, one of the regular employees. She was the one who had brought in the tea. "Um, I just went with one of your employees," she was addressing Kyouya and was blushing, probably from embarrassment at whatever this mix-up was. "Somehow your reservation was put on a room with only one bed, and all the rooms with doubles are full... um... I'm really not sure how we made this mistake!" She bowed low, face a bright shade of red.

Kyouya sighed. "If all the other rooms are taken, there's really no choice," he stated evenly. "So long as it's alright with you, Kaoru?"

"We'll manage," Kaoru agreed. "I just want to go to sleep."

"As an apology, your breakfast tomorrow will be complimentary," the okami offered demurely, which the teens accepted graciously. It was a common gesture and insured that, despite the mix-up (which wasn't that big of a deal anyway), they would give a good review of the Ryoukan to anyone who asked.

Half an hour later, Kaoru and Kyouya were both in bed with a respectable distance between them. Kyouya tapped quietly at his laptop, and slowly, Kaoru fell asleep.

* * *

Blearily, one eye opened. He was facing a very nice silk painting of a dragon – the black gutta (4) was a nice touch, he noted idly – and the bed was perfectly comfortable. It wasn't home, but he was fairly well rested. Not enough that he wanted to get up yet, but –

Rustling behind him set Kaoru on edge. There was someone else in the bed? He tried to think, but couldn't quite match up why that was, his mind in the post-sleep haze and unable to draw the proper connections.

Slowly, he rolled to face other direction and saw a mess of black hair. Kyouya.

Surprised, Kaoru fell out of the bed, dragging the blankets with him and letting out a small "oomph" noise when he hit the ground. He looked up and froze even as he was preparing to get off the ground. The Low Blood-Pressure Demon King had made himself known with a rather piercing glare.

"Get. Back. In. Bed," Kyouya growled. One long-fingered hand reached forward – an ominous sight – and tugged on what little of the blanket remained upon the mattress. "It's cold. It's _six am_. I stayed up until _one_. _Go _to_ sleep_."

Obediently, Kaoru stood and allowed the vice president of the Host Club to retrieve the stolen blankets before getting in bed again. He was too frightened to go back to sleep.

* * *

"It's ten already; the sun's up, it's warm... I really don't get your problem," Kaoru sighed as they entered the temple of Daibutsu. The giant buddha was sat on a large pedestal, overlooking the temple that was filled with tourists. Well, that wasn't exactly surprising. Daibutsu was among the main draws of Nara, along with the deer, despite not being the largest buddha in the country. It was only the sixth largest buddha, the largest being in the Ibaraki prefecture and being almost ten times the size of the Nara Daibutsu.

Aside from gathering information about it, there really wasn't much for them to do in the temple. It was kind of cool, Kaoru supposed, but it was pretty obvious that it was something Tamaki had wanted to do that Kyouya ended up not scratching from the schedule.

"Let's participate in some commoner fun," Kyouya completely ignored the fact that Kaoru was calling him out on being grumpy. Bah, he could be as grumpy as he wanted; it was none of the solitary twin's business anyway, now was it? Kyouya's bad mood was Kyouya's bad mood. "See that pillar?"

Curious – and deciding to go along with whatever it was Kyouya was doing in hopes that it would make this part of the trip enjoyable - Kaoru followed the cool type's gaze to... a pillar. It was a rather large pillar, not that this was anything weird, but there was a rather long line extending from its base, with chatting tourists of all ages looking excited. And some of them, Kaoru was certain, were not commoners at all! The quality of that woman's suit was definitely above that afforded by the so-called middle class, and Kaoru thought he'd met one of the teenagers there at a modeling shoot a year or two ago.

"In that pillar is a tunnel," Kyouya explained, "and if you pass through it, you will have good luck. I think if we can, the girls will be pleased tomorrow." He gave Kaoru a look that just _dared_ the Hitachiin to question him.

Well, Kaoru knew better now than to make bets or take dares against Kyouya and simply agreed.

And so they waited in line for a good half hour before they finally got to the front. Predictably, Kyouya made Kaoru go first, on the grounds that, if Kaoru couldn't fit through, there was no point in him trying. Kaoru said he was just angry that he'd been woken up. Kyouya didn't deny it.

"If I get stuck, there had better be someone able to get me out of there," Kaoru grumbled as he got down in the floor. The hole was large, but he wasn't sure if he could fit. He ended up having to bow his shoulders in so they would fit.

It took approximately thirty seconds to get through the pillar. His shoulders hurt. He flashed a thumbs up to Kyouya, who appeared twenty seconds later looking a little smug. Kaoru didn't get the significance.

After that, it was all deer, lunch, and more deer. Not that Kaoru disliked deer or anything, but the novelty of them being sociable wore off after about an hour.

Still, one seemed to have taken an especial liking to him, and he was tempted to ask if he could buy that one. Given the difficulty Kyouya was having in _renting_ them though, he somehow doubted they were for sale. Pity, because he was sure his mother would love to use it as a tool for modeling, and he was rather inspired to make it a floral headdress. Perhaps he would use irises? Or maybe morning glory would be better suited... with some baby's breath of course, and perhaps some forget-me-nots...

The deer – now christened "Chou-chan" for a butterfly-like pattern on his side – left him suddenly, and Kaoru sighed.

"A van will bring three deer to school tomorrow," Kyouya intoned from behind the Hitachiin. Kaoru nodded, but was slightly disappointed now. Sure, the deer were boring, but he _liked_ that one.

They left, picking up the costumes for the day following on their way out of town.

* * *

The car rolled to a stop in front of the Hitachiin mansion. It had been a nice trip, in all honesty, Kaoru reflected as he exited the vehicle. He'd had fun, communed with nature – not on par with Mori's skills of course, but not everyone could charm a tanuki into being their pet – dealt with a minor fashion crisis, and actually had a good time with Kyouya.

And there hadn't been a scrap of paper involved in the whole thing, which certainly made things a lot easier.

"I think that went well," Kyouya spoke. Kaoru blinked and saw he was not alone in getting out, though he really had to wonder why Kyouya was following him.

Still, he nodded. "Definitely successful," the twin agreed. "And I suppose it wasn't a half-bad way to spend the weekend." It really wasn't. If he had stayed in Tokyo all weekend, he probably would have played video games with Hikaru, designed an outfit or three, pulled a prank on his mother, assuming she was home at all... but that's it. Nothing really off the beaten path. A very... normal weekend. Breaking routine was a good thing, so far as Kaoru was concerned. "See you."

Kyouya bowed, saying nothing and turned away as Kaoru opened the door to the grand house.

"Kaoru, you survived!" Hikaru leapt at Kaoru and spun around him quickly, grinning like a loon. "When you weren't home for dinner I was sure he'd eaten you or something!" The elder twin laughed at his own joke, and Kaoru reciprocated. "So, how torturous was it, to be in our Vice President's clutches for so long?"

"It wasn't that bad," Kaoru shrugged noncommittally. "Most of the time was spent shopping and with the deer and-" he stopped suddenly. "Damn, he still has my gloves. I liked those gloves."

"Why would he have your gloves?" Hikaru gave his brother a weird look before shaking his head. "Whatever. They're obviously contaminated with Kyouya-germs. I'd give them up as lost and buy new ones." Hikaru nodded, because his idea was very sensible. They weren't very expensive gloves, and Kaoru knew his brother was right... but he _liked_ those gloves. Not in the vague "oh, these are useful" way, but he actually liked them and thought they went rather well with many of his casual outfits.

He resolved to ask Kyouya about them at school.

**Author's Note: XD … yeah. Like the warnings say, "fluff". This chapter is just… fluff. And a few clues for Kaoru-kun. (As I started working on this, the class next door was watching the episode of the Simpsons about Lord of the Flies – which my class finished reading at the end of February – and I couldn't help but laugh). Why is part 2 out today? 'Cause it's KaraDragonfire's birthday party and I'm about to run off to her house to eat pie! :D Birthday pie is the best.**

**Part 3… will either be out fairly soon or on April 23 (which is "Give KaraDragonfire 20 dollars day" – to appease her I would rather give her the last chapter than money 'cause I don't have any (obviously I don't actually have to give her money))... but I'm probably not mean enough to hold the snogging hostage for that long ^^" (Yes, chapter 3 has snogging. Beware.)**

**No chapter cover this time. I got gypped on Friday for computers in Graphic Arts and I had one with the WORST lag. No matter what I did, every line was STRAIGHT. I couldn't even sketch it. Maybe I'll make one at a later date.**

(1) Daibutsu ("Big Buddha") is… a big Buddha statue. It resides in Nara.

(2) Reiton-Kyouju is "Professor Layton", referring to the game Professor Layton and the Curious Village. It's a puzzle game where you progress the plot by solving puzzles. It's a fun game, and it makes you really bend your mind. (There are other games in the series, but that's the only one I've played.)

(3) In chapter 36, there is a short omake about Kyouya's bodyguards (Tachibana, who is the only one I ever seem to remember, Horita, and Aishima) who refer to themselves as Team Kyouya. Tachibana seems to be the main bodyguard, as he is the one who checks Kyouya's car for safety and is the only one of "Team Kyouya" allowed in Kyouya's rooms. The omake was done in commemoration of Ouran becoming an anime.

(4) In silk painting, gutta is the resist (what keeps the dyes from touching and keeps the previous hue of the silk – like wax in batik). It comes in normal, which holds the previous color (usually white) and black, which turns the silk it's on black, leaving a thick outline around the shapes.


	3. The Debt Collector

**Warnings:** Slash (Kyouya/Kaoru), mild angst, fluff, innuendo, and _**SNOGGING**_ (that's tonsil hockey to most of you). Part 3 of 3. Aside from the first section, the others are rather short. Includes one segment from Kyouya's point of view.

**Disclaimer:** Ouran High School Host Club belongs to Hattori Bisuko and associates, of whom I am not one. Written for KaraDragonfire's birthday (Happy 17th!) at her request.

3: The Debt Collector

Kaoru fidgeted in the car, but only a little. He'd lost his bet weeks ago, and the trip to Nara felt like forever past, even though it really hadn't been that long. There was no Host Club meeting today, in preparation for graduation; Tamaki was planning a gala or something in honor of Hani and Mori leaving, and was refusing input from anyone but Haruhi. Even Kyouya's sensible suggestions were completely ignored.

This was how Kaoru found himself in the back of Kyouya's car, the upper classman informed his brother that Kaoru would be home after dinner. The younger twin assumed that he was going to complete his final favor, but he had no idea what it was. He begged silently to whatever deity might be listening that it wouldn't be more paperwork. He couldn't stand that thought. At least Kyouya had given him some warning on the previous two favors! But he remained clueless.

Kaoru sent a sidelong glance towards the Cool Type host, only to avert his gaze when he was caught immediately. How was Kyouya so hyperaware that he would _instantly_ catch it? It was unnatural. Almost as if he was looking first, but that was impossible because Kyouya had his laptop out and was doing… something. It involved a lot of typing though, so Kaoru figured he had an essay to write or he was filling out spending reports for the club or some such thing that would bore Kaoru to tears to do. Which was why he didn't bother asking.

Although making assumptions about Kyouya was rarely a safe thing, it was pretty easy to tell he was a workaholic.

"So, er… what am I supposed to do today?" Kaoru asked when the silence became too much. Maybe it was only an awkward silence to him – it wasn't awkward unless one felt the need to say anything and Kyouya certainly wouldn't – but it was too quiet to Kaoru, who was accustomed to wreaking havoc with his brother.

"Just go along with it," was all Kyouya said.

It was so… nonspecific. Like the terms of the bet that had gotten Kaoru into this mess to begin with. He shuddered; what could Kyouya have in mind? They were going to the Ootori mansion, so it couldn't be too bad… Not cleaning, since there was a full staff of maids _and_ Team Kyouya to deal with the youngest Ootori. No one was suicidal enough to ask Kaoru to cook, either.

There was simply no way to narrow down what Kyouya wanted from Kaoru, which, oddly enough, wasn't all that bad. … Kaoru must be going mad.

Eventually, the car rolled through the gates of Ootori and pulled in front of the steps to the house before driving away to what looked like a ten car garage. Not surprising. Kaoru followed Kyouya into the house; he'd been there before on missions to "kidnap" Kyouya early in the morning for commoner fun. The most memorable remained the trip to the department store where they lost Kyouya for several hours because Tamaki left him somewhere, though they often had to "kidnap" Kyouya for the adventures with Mei over the summer (1). Kaoru wasn't unfamiliar with the place, but it always struck him how strangely plain and obsessively clean the place was.

Haruhi, of course, would still call it grand, but that was Haruhi.

Every wall was painted either white or blue, nothing too fancy. The tables were simple, the decorations were plain… it was very utilitarian. The most fanciful room was Kyouya's living room, because it was full of whatever knick knacks – such as million yen paintings – and objects Tamaki bought for Kyouya. This was where Kyouya led Kaoru… and still didn't tell him to do anything.

Well, Kyouya told him to "relax for the moment" and handed him the remote to the television for retreating to his bedroom.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, even if that gift horse was from Kyouya (and had no mouth to look in because it was a remote), Kaoru lounged on the couch and watched a commoner anime about four boys who were, according to the show, of host-like attractiveness (though the redheaded one really should not have been a redhead, blond suited him better) as they tried to turn a girl into the "perfect lady" so they could have free rent in a mansion (2). It was mildly entertaining… and at least it was less puerile than shounen anime.

Eventually Kyouya returned, no longer wearing his uniform and looking freshly showered. He sat on the couch and seemed to only be paying a little bit of attention to the show. Eventually it switched programs, and Kaoru felt his half hour was well wasted.

And he _still_ didn't know why he was here. He was getting a little paranoid.

More time passed, and so did more anime – one about a boy who worked at a shop that granted wishes, another about a group of dimension travelers, and one about humanoid computers (3) – without any indication from Kyouya as to what Kaoru was supposed to do while he was here.

It occurred to him, belatedly, that Kyouya might be trying to have him replace Tamaki, but then he dismissed the thought. Although Tamaki was dating Haruhi now, he still spent a lot of time with Kyouya. They were obviously still best friends in their weird way.

"Have you seen our garden before?" Kyouya asked as the latest show ended. Kaoru replied in the negative, since the only deviation on the path from the front door to Kyouya's rooms that they had ever taken on a kidnapping had been the first time, when Tamaki showed off the kotatsu he had influenced Kyouya's family into installing in the private public private living room (4).

Kaoru ended up following Kyouya out of the elder host's rooms, leaving his blazer on the couch, and they arrived in the gardens. They weren't as wonderful as the Hitachiin gardens of course – even discounting that the twins' grandmother was a famous floral arrangement diva (for all an old woman could be a diva), the twins were always arranging the growing flowers in beautiful arrays – nor were they as grand as the Suou gardens at the second mansion, but they were laid out in a formulaic manner. Very Ootori.

Due to the fact that it was not quite spring, the flowers were just starting to bud, and a few cherry trees had started to bloom, adding a splash of color in the middle of the rock garden or by a pond. The garden was traditional, but everything was laid out in a geometric precision that actually rather impressed Kaoru. The gardeners must be very skilled to keep everything so perfect.

"What do you think?" Kyouya inquired after they had taken a quick tour of the garden.

"I'm impressed," admitted Kaoru. "It explains why you prefer the traditional gardens at school for club events."

"I suppose it does. I'm surprised you noticed." He paused, and Kaoru thought he heard a crunch of gravel. Kyouya's voice seemed a little deeper, a little... _smirkier_ than before, even if that wasn't an actual word. "I think it's time for that favor."

Kaoru blinked. That was kind of sudden. "Sure. What do you want me to –"

There was nothing Kaoru could do from there. Well, no, he could _do_ something, but given the current position he couldn't do much. His back was pressed against something hard – he registered the press of bark on the back of his head and through his shirt, that he was backed up against a plum tree _and Kyouya was pressed entirely against his front_. More than that, Kaoru could feel Kyouya's lips on his, moving just a little, _kissing him_ and Kaoru almost wished lips weren't so sensitive.

Kyouya had just stolen his first kiss and was molesting him against a tree.

Kaoru was pretty sure he wasn't the only Host who hadn't lost his first kiss (until now – and assuming one discounted the kiss on the cheek when he went on that date with Haruhi in November), because they had a very strange position. As Hosts, they could not be seen as "taken", or else they would lose popularity and that wouldn't be good for the club. Hani could have his friendship with Reiko because no girl honestly believed their precious Hani-senpai would date the only girl in the Black Magic Club. Tamaki and Haruhi could have their relationship because even if it _did_ go public without Haruhi revealing her true gender, they would become _more_ popular.

Tamaki had had relationships in France, and Hani had supposedly had a girlfriend as first year. But the twins had scorned anyone before Tamaki got them to join the club, so Kaoru never really kissed anyone.

The fact that he had so suddenly lost his "precious" (if one listened to girls) first kiss to the Shadow King – who had just poked him in the ribs and tricked him into opening his mouth, allowing an invasion of something that could only be the older male's _tongue_ – was a bit crazy when he thought about it. The fact that it felt good was perhaps less strange. What did it matter who he kissed, when mouths were the same for men and women? They were wired the same, had the same sensory hotspots, and –

Kaoru shuddered when Kyouya licked the roof of his mouth. Kissing was weird but it felt good in a ticklish sort of way. And Kyouya tasted like shower water and toothpaste, which wasn't entirely unpleasant.

But back to the whole ambush-kiss and molestation thing. Kaoru had tried to push Kyouya away, really he had, but he wasn't terribly strong and Kyouya had angled them in a way that Kaoru really could not escape. Did he _practice_ molesting people or something?! Then there was a crunch of gravel and Kyouya extricated himself from Kaoru entirely.

The twin was left leaning against a tree, a little dazed and more than a little red in the face. His mouth was still open and a string of saliva that had connected him to Kyouya snapped, landing on his shirt. Ootori Yoshio stood on the gravel path and was _staring _at them.

Kaoru's first thought, when he saw Kyouya's father, was not _Oh God Kyouya's dad just saw us kissing_ or even _Why the hell did Kyouya kiss me?!_ It was _Kyouya planned this._

Before Kaoru could say anything to try and show that he was the victim in this scenario, Kyouya's father turned around and walked pointedly in the other direction. Kaoru took a moment to make sure his legs still worked and rounded on Kyouya, who looked far too smug.

"What the _hell_, Kyouya!" He snapped. This was so… he couldn't even think of what it was. Yes, he enjoyed the kiss. Yes, he was open on who to fantasize about. But that was….

"All according to plan," Kyouya stated with an easy smirk. "My apologies. My father has been considering arranging a marriage to a girl that I consider would not be an asset to my reputation and path in life. However, with that display, I believe he will stop trying to marry me off. Consider your debt repaid. Oh, and you're welcome to stay for dinner."

Kaoru gaped as Kyouya turned and started heading back to the house.

What. The. Hell.

* * *

It had been entirely too simple, at first. Kyouya made the bet knowing Kaoru would accept and he would lose. Even Hikaru had, at the time, known Haruhi was in love with Tamaki already; only Kaoru was able to be willfully blind enough to not see how she looked at him, how she had been acting around him since even so long ago as October. Even Tamaki had noticed something belatedly to give him the courage to ask her out formally.

Even Kyouya's favors had been carefully plotted out. The first was simply to put Kaoru in the same room as him for several hours – and get the twin to organize things, which was done surprisingly well – and for the simple brush of hands when helping Kaoru fulfill his end off the bargain. When Akito called, Kyouya took full advantage to set a precedent in the family for why they should believe the following scenarios.

The second was a "date" scenario, which was much more intricate. He called the Ryoukan and told them to play along when they arrived, talking about a "mix-up" in the arrangements. The okami was in a small amount of debt to the Ootori Group because of the chemotherapy her husband was currently undergoing, which Kyoya was happy to take care of for the favor. The weekend long date was a greater success than anticipated, as Kaoru was, under his own impetus, "sweet" by giving Kyouya his gloves. The fact that he took note of how cold Kyouya was after waking up was a bonus. Further week following Renge circulated Kyouya's photos, which he supplied for a good cost.

He had actually rather liked the gloves though, and ordered a pair of his own while at the Ryoukan. They arrived Monday morning before he went to school. The fact that his sister was visiting that week and asked why he was buying gloves at the _end_ of winter helped secure him just that much more.

The third was actually the easiest to set up. All he had to do was get Kaoru to relax with a few hours of lazing about, then a quick tour of the garden that started precisely ten minutes before his father's routine stroll. Kyouya hardly had to work to time everything perfectly, that his father would hear the flirtation and turn the corner before they had separated.

Of course, it didn't hurt that Kyouya _did_ like Kaoru. Just because he didn't always act it didn't mean Kyouya wasn't human. He knew an attractive man when he saw one, and Kaoru was a lot less devilish now that Haruhi had forced the twins into the real world. Kaoru was an interesting person. Not a bad match, whether in practical terms of simply for use in dissuading his father from arranging a marriage to Renge – his ex-fangirl had hardly been interested for a week, anyway, and that was long since past.

His eyes tracked Kaoru across the dance floor, even as he danced with his own partner. Tamaki's big plan for the leaving party for Hani and Mori was to do a ball like the one the past Spring, and Kyouya had nothing against it. It wasn't too expensive for the club's budget, and Kyouya rather thought Kaoru looked dashing in his suit.

The waltz ended, and Kyouya bowed politely to the girl before him. She giggled and scampered off as soon as he was standing straight again, and Kyouya's eyes immediately sought out the familiar red hair that was, surprisingly, making a beeline for him anyway.

Kyouya made a special signal to Tamaki that caused the blond's face to light up. In a flash he grabbed Haruhi and dragged her onto the dance floor; Mori and Hani followed suit, and Kyouya thought it lucky Hikaru was currently on a bathroom break. When Kaoru arrived before him, Kyouya bowed, offering his hand, and the MC called for the "Hosts only" dance. The plan had been a gimmick to get the fangirls riled up, but Kyouya had not anticipated being included since he thought Kaoru was still avoiding him.

The waiting hand was accepted, and Kyouya prepared to lead. He could not be led, but the twins switched often enough that Kaoru slipped into flawlessly. Which worked well enough, really.

"I just thought you should now," Kaoru informed him as soon as the music started up and no one had any chance of overhearing, "that your dad sent me something. It arrived this morning."

"He did?" That was... unanticipated, and it didn't fit in with the next step in the plan. Well, the next step could only proceed if Kaoru was actually interested, which was up in the air for the moment. His father shouldn't be considering bribing Kaoru to keep away until any potential relationship was strong enough for Kaoru to not even notice. "What was your response?"

"My... my response?" Kaoru blinked. It was a good indication of his experience dancing that he did not falter even slightly despite the surprise. "I hadn't even thought about – I mean, not that I'm exactly adverse – I'm only _sixteen_ for god's sake, and I'm not exactly hard up to marry someone right now, even if it is you!"

Kyouya's eyebrows rose slightly. "He sent you a marriage proposal?"

"In representation of you, yeah," Kaoru looked away. "I mean, I'm flattered and all, but I knew he was going behind your back, and I figure it's something you of all people ought to be aware of and have a say in."

Amusement was an emotion Kyouya had come to know throughout his friendship with Tamaki and membership with the Host Club, so it came as no surprise when he found himself amused, dancing in the middle of the main ballroom of the Ouran campus, with a certain red-headed twin in his arms.

"'Something I should have a say in'?" Kyouya mimicked. Kaoru seemed to realize what he had said and his cheeks turned just a bit redder.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Kaoru endeavored to explain. "I just... I mean, you're an okay guy when you aren't being evil and the whole kissing thing was nice but like I said I'm sixteen and thinking about stuff like that at this age would make me like Tono, and _he's_ crazy! Not that you wouldn't be a good prospect –"

He seemed to decide now was a good time to shut up. Or the quick kiss from Kyouya might have decided that for him.

Or may, just maybe, it was the fact that Hikaru had just walked into the ballroom again, shrieked like a girl, and fainted. Who knows?

* * *

When Yoshio's personal guard, the elder brother of Kyouya's favored guard, brought in the morning mail, Yoshio flipped through it with minute interest, paying more attention to his food. Requests for loans, applications to work at the Ootori Medical Research Center which he would forward to the Research Director later in the morning, an invitation from Yuuichi to visit his two year old grandson (5), a letter from the Hitachiin family, and –

Yoshio paused and set aside the personal letter before adding the small stack of university brochures sent to Kyouya in another stack. Other universities than the Ouran university department were interested in him, and he received requests to apply just as his elder brothers had, though there were requests from schools abroad that had never even considered the elder two.

After a moment, the Head of the Ootori Group turned his attention completely from his food and picked up the personal letter once more. The paper was good quality, a faint blue color. With only the smallest indication of his desire, Yoshio received a letter opener. In an instant, the actual mail was in his hands.

It was a formal letter of appropriate length and perfect formatting. The information, however, boiled down to one simple sentence.

_Give me a year or two to think about it_.

Yoshio smirked to himself and resumed his breakfast, already thinking of what sort of suit he would commission from the mother of the boy who sent the letter for an event he anticipated would be happening in two and a half years' time.

Really, Kyouya was too easy to predict sometimes.

**Author's Note: Aaaand that's a wrap. This chapter was actually posted on this date (4-6-10) at the request of KounetsuDeb in honor of her birthday :D Saves me from having to think of anything for her, I suppose, or deciding on a date significant to KaraDragonfire.**

**Hope the Kyouya/Kaoru make-out was okay. I haven't actually written anything of the sort since HPatHC :\ Mostly been writing gen fic and pre-slash, not getting far enough to include anything too... y'know, and the like. Hm, I should fix that.**

(1) During the second summer vacation (manga-verse), Misuzu-chi (the okama who owns the pension Haruhi worked at during the first summer vacation) brings his daughter to the Fujioka household because she refuses to stay with him over the vacation. She then meets the Hosts and goes gaga over them, going on commoner adventures with them expecting to do rich-people stuff. She is Haruhi's closest female friend and is the one who makes Haruhi realize she's in love with Tamaki.

(2) This is The Wallflower or Perfect Girl Evolution (Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge) by Toshokawa Tomoko.

(3) In order, xxxHolic, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, and Chobits, all by CLAMP. (I haven't seen the anime for these, but I know it exists)

(4) Just my way of making fun of rich people. The Ootori family all have their private ones in their rooms which only they and close friends enter. There are also public living rooms, for guests who are not close, private public, which are for associates with a closer connection, private public private, which is where the entire family might congregate (the piano Tamaki played would be in one of these) with actual friends or allies. There may be more, but these are just the ones I made up. (Canonically, Kyouya DOES have his own living room. Tachibana is the only one of Team Kyouya who are allowed in there, implying he doesn't let anyone in if he can help it.)

(5) Referring to Chapter 77, in which we meet Kyouya's older brother, Yuuichi and Akito. It is stated that Yuuichi "already has a family" which I take to mean a wife and perhaps one child so far.


End file.
